TRIAL International Fighting Impunity for international crimes phase 2

The main achievements during this first year of the project include: - 14 judicial procedures carried out on behalf of more than 2000 victims of grave human rights violations in the Kasai region. - 2 trials held and concluded with 3 defendants convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and over 250 victims have been awarded judicial reparations. - Training of 19 lawyers from the Kasaï province on the representation of victims of international crimes before Congolese tribunals. - Training of 30 human rights defenders from 15 Congolese NGOs from Kasaï-central on transitional justice, the documentation of gross human rights violations and the facilitation of victims participation in the work of a truth commission. - Training of 29 judicial actors (civilian and military prosecutors and judges) on the best practices concerning the investigation and the prosecution of the perpetrators of international crimes as well as the complementarity between judicial proceedings and truth and reconciliation mechanisms in the framework of transitional justice. - Support to the definition and adoption of a strategic and regulatory planning framework for the Provincial Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (CPVJR) in Kasai Central through training and mentoring of commissioners and facilitation of consultation and establishment of strategic partnerships with key stakeholders (victims' communities, civil society, judicial institutions). - Support to civil society actors on 3 initiatives, namely a technical note submitted to the National Fund for Reparation of Victims of Sexual Violence and Conflict-Related Crimes against Peace and Human Security (FONAREV) demanding inclusive reparation procedures adapted to victims, the annual commemoration of Kasai Victims' Week by running two workshops on the new Reparations Law and raising awareness of the CPVJR's mandate, an exchange and consultation between victims' representatives and members of the CPVJR to raise awareness of the CPVJR's working methods, gather information on the needs of victims' communities and lay the foundations for future collaboration. The above results confirm Trial International's position as a key actor in the fighting impunity for grave crimes and in the implementation of transitional justice. Compared with previous years, there has been a significant increase in the number of cases handled by the Congolese national courts. It is therefore important that this increase in numbers of cases is accompanied by a qualitative improvement in terms of developing national expertise in international crime. However, a weak point in all this remains the issue of effective reparation for victims of grave crimes after decisions handed down by congolese courts.

The general objective of the contribution is: Fighting impunity and promoting transitional justice in the Kasaï region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by improving access to justice for victims of gross human rights violations, strengthening the capacities of Congolese actors to effectively document and prosecute these crimes, and supporting the implementation of adequate and inclusive transitional justice mechanisms. Specific objectives are: 1: Improve access to justice for victims of international crimes in the Kasaï region. a) Strengthening the documentation and investigation of gross human rights violations by local NGOs and judicial actors. b) Improving access to Congolese tribunals for victims of international crimes and gross human rights violations (murder, sexual violence, torture, pillage, war crimes, crimes against humanity, etc.). c) Increasing the performance of the Congolese justice system in the prosecution of international crimes by improving coordination and collaboration among actors working with judicial authorities on the fight against impunity. 2: Strengthen the capacities of Congolese professionals who support survivors who wish to access justice. a) Strengthening the capacities of Congolese lawyers working in the Kasaï region to effectively represent victims of grave crimes before Congolese tribunals in their quest for justice and reparations. b) Strengthening the capacities of Congolese human rights defenders and NGOs active in the Kasaï region to document gross human rights violations according to international standards and best practices in order to access justice as well as to facilitate victims' participation to the judicial procedures. c) Strengthening the capacities of Congolese judicial actors (prosecutors and judges) active in the Kasaï region to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of international crimes before Congolese tribunals. 3:Support the implementation of adequate transitional justice mechanisms. a) Support the operational deployment of the Commission provinciale vérité, justice et réconciliation in Kasaï-central with the aim of attaining its objective of truth, justice and reconciliation with a victim-centered focus, consistent with international standards and best practices. b) Strengthening the capacity of civil society actors in Kasaï-central working on the different pillars of transitional justice in order to coordinate their efforts and maximise the impact of thier engagement with the Commission provinciale vérité, justice et réconciliation so as to obtain meaningful truth, justice and reparations for victims' communities.